The present invention relates to a solar powered rotating plant supports device which is adapted to rotate potted plants so that the plants are equally exposed on all sides to sunlight thereby ensuring that the plants will grow straighter, taller and more lush than if the plants were not rotated. It is therefore desirable to provide a device which automatically turns plants whenever the sun is shining.
It is further desirable to utilize solar power to operate the device, thereby providing very energy efficient operation. The device should be capable of providing sufficient power to operate the device in both direct sunlight and bright indirect sunlight. Prior art devices have been developed for similar purposes. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,969,290 and 4,873,790 disclose solar powered devices for rotating potted plants. U.S. Pat. No. 5,228,235 discloses apparatus for rotating potted trees to promote generation of exhaled organic compounds from the trees.
A particular feature of all of these patented structures is that adjacent plants are rotated in the same direction. As a result, any overlapping portions of the plants which may engage one another are moving in opposite directions which will cause the overlapping portions to push on one another and create damage by bending portions of the plants. In fact, U.S. Pat. No. 5,228,235 specifically teaches that adjacent trees are rotated in the same direction so that the trees will interfere with one another in order to promote the generation of exhaled organic compounds. This is an undesirable feature when potted plants are rotated near one another for the purposes of the present invention.